The Letter
by Amylibrarygirl
Summary: Zell and the library girlAmy met in the library at Balamb Garden. A relationship forms between the two all thanks to a single letter......
1. Prologue Part 1

Read and Review!!! This is my first fic!

Prologue: Part 1

**_The Letter._** That was all Amy could think about as she stood on the balcony of the secret area. **_The Letter._** Amy sighed. She could hardly breath. _Zell could come anytime. Had giving him that letter end up being a good or a bad thing? _ Amy was now looking out into the night sky. She was on the balcony of the Secret Area. A falling star faded in and out of sight. She sighed again. She was holding Flame, her baby moomba, in her arms. Zell's mother had had a moomba, which had had a liter of four. Zell had given her one on her last birthday, on which she had turned 16. She sighed again.

_**The Letter.** It held so much. What if Zell thought it was a joke? What if he took it seriously, but laughed at her? But...but, what if he felt the same way she did? **That** would be a miracle. _Amy still couldn't breath. She was scared...scared of what might happen next...next between her and Zell. Thinking about it made a tear trickle down her right cheek. Her head was down and her eyes were shut. The tear fell off her cheek and to the ground bellow her. Flame was looking up at Amy with big, sad eyes. When he saw her shed that single tear, he snuggled closer to her.

Amy then felt someone grab her gently from behind. Flame jumped out of her arms and ran over to where her gunblade was resting against the wall of the Secret Area. She looked up quickly, took in a sharp breath, and her eyes grew large. Then, for some reason, she relaxed, closed her eyes, and hugged the arms that were gently holding her. She turned around and put her hands up to Zell's chest. She looked up into his pure blue eyes. He was looking lovingly back at her. Unaware of what was happening, the two met in a gentle kiss.

After a moment of standing there, Amy and Zell heard a sound coming from the walkway that led into the secret area. Both of them were surprised. Amy shut her eyes tight and clung to the front of Zell's shirt. Zell held Amy close to him, protectively, and turned his head to see where the noise had come from.

In the doorway Selphie was holding Seifer's right arm in her left. Her nunchakus were swinging at her right side, and her head was resting on Seifer's arm. Seifer was holding his gunblade in from of him, and his head back, smirking at Zell.

Zell sighed with relief, and Amy relaxed. Amy and Selphie walk over to the side and Zell turned around to face Seifer.

Selphie was poking Amy in the arm, giggling. Amy stood with her arms crossed, looking with one eye closed at Selphie. It was Seifer who spoke first. "So the chicken-wuss finally got some bravery, eh?" He said, still smirking.

"You want a piece of me, Seifer?!?" Zell snapped at him, putting up his fists and bobbing from one foot to the other.

"You mean literally?" Seifer asked, brandishing his gunblade.

"If the Commander comes along and sees you two fighting, we'll all be in trouble," Amy put in.

"Yeah, if you guys really have to fight, at least use the simulator the Headmaster just installed. You do actual damage, you just heal a lot faster once outside of the simulation," Selphie added.

Seifer and Zell, who had been staring each other down, shrugged and stalked off towards the room where the simulator had been installed within the secret area.

Amy picked up her gunblade and allowed Flame to jump up onto her shoulder. Then she and Selphie followed Zell and Seifer down the hallway.


	2. Prologue Part 2

Prologue: Part 2

Once in the Simulator Room, Seifer, and Zell each lowered themselves into one of the six pods which connected to the simulator. Seifer held his gunblade over the scanner designed for his weapon, and Zell put his hands over the special scanners on the armrests of the pod.

After the top of the pod had come down to close, Zell nodded to Amy to start up the simulator. The scanner that scanned the subject entering the simulation had been built into the top of the pod. As Amy started up the simulator, this scanner scanned Zell and Seifer and the weapon scanners scanned their weapons of choice. A second later, Seifer and Zell appeared in the viewing screen of the simulation. They were facing each other in a standoff. Neither of them wanted to make the first move.

Amy turned to Selphie and said, "We have to stop this." Selphie just shrugged, but said, "Okay."

The two girls jumped into two of the three remaining pods, and as the pods began to close, Amy gave Flame instructions on how to start the Simulator.

Once they were inside the simulation with Zell and Seifer, Amy told Selphie to distract Zell, while she kept Seifer occupied. Selphie nodded and walked a few yards from where Zell was standing. She waved her arms up and down, tauntingly, and said, "Hey **_Zell_**! I bet you can't catch me!!!"

"We'll see about that!" was Zell's reply. He began to run after Selphie, with her prancing about in the lead. Seifer was left looking on with one eyebrow raised, confused.

Amy jumped in front of Seifer and made a slashing movement with her gunblade. She then positioned it with the handle held slightly behind her, and the end of her gunblade pointed at Seifer, with her other hand out in front of her. This was her usual fighting position. "Alright Seifer, you ready?" Amy asked him. Seifer began to laugh. Seeing that he wasn't going to take her seriously, Amy launched herself towards Seifer, holding her gunblade with both hands, over her head. "Whoa!" Seifer said, and blocked Amy's attack with a parry. Seifer smirked down at Amy as she struggled to keep her gunblade on his. Seifer tossed Amy backward by pushing up on his gunblade. Instead of falling, Amy jumped backwards, and got back into her fighting position. Meanwhile, Seifer got into his own fighting position.

Zell was still chasing Selphie around, but he was getting tired. He stopped and put his hands on his knees, crouching down, resting, and breathing hard.

Selphie jumped up onto a rock and made a pose with her nunchakus. "What's the matter Zellie? Tired?" she asked him.

"What, and you aren't?" Zell said, still trying to catch his breath. "Not really," Selphie answered.

She laughed. Zell looked up at Selphie, half smirking. "I'll get you," he said, and took off running after her.

Seifer and Amy's gunblades were clashing. Seifer had begun to bark commands at Amy. Try as she might, she could not keep up. "...Heh heh heh..." Seifer smirked down at Amy.

"What?!?" Amy asked, jumping back, and stopping the fight temporarily.

"Oh, nothing," Seifer replied, "Just thinking about you and that chicken-wuss..."

"SHUT UP!!!!!" Amy threw herself at Seifer, making a swiping motion with her gunblade as she landed down in front on him.

"...ah...ah...ah......AMY!!!!!!!!" Seifer yelled.

Amy looked up and flinched. She had cut Seifer's scar open, but not only that, she had also cut the edge of the collar of his trench coat and slashed the shoulder of it open.

Amy shot up and began running away, as quickly as possible, not being able to help the tears streaming from her eyes out of fear.

Zell and Selphie had suddenly stopped running when they heard Amy scream.

Seifer was quickly running after Amy in a rage, only about 7 feet behind her and gaining fast. He was also swinging his gunblade around so dangerously that all that could be seen of it was a blur. Amy ran behind Zell, shaking with fear as she held both of his shoulders, sheltering herself, and still not being able to hold in tears. Seifer was heading straight at Zell, still swinging his gunblade around, when Selphie jumped in front of Zell.

Seifer was taken aback and stopped abruptly. Selphie starred Seifer straight in the eyes. He make a slashing movement with his gunblade and shouted, "MOVE OUT OF THE WAY SELPHIE!!! QUIT PROTECTING THIS CHICKEN-WUSS AND HIS LITTLE GIRLFRIEND, THE LIBRARY GIRL!!!!! CAN'T YOU SEE SHE CUT MY TRENCH?!?!?"

"No," Selphie replied firmly, "that's what you get for letting your guard down......And besides, I can easily mend your precious trench!"

"I'll still get her back for cutting it!" Seifer said cockily, with a smirk.

Amy quietly whispered something to Zell, who in turn whispered something to Selphie. Selphie almost laughed as Zell spoke to her.

"Close your eyes Seifer," Selphie said.

"Why?" Seifer asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You'll see!" Selphie replied, putting a finger to her cheek and winking at Seifer.

"Whatever," Seifer shrugged and closed his eyes.

Selphie stepped aside so Zell and Seifer were facing one another. Zell stepped forward and punched Seifer in the side of the head as hard as he dared. Seifer almost immediately fell unconscious. Zell stepped back and smirked. Amy whispered, "Sorry Zell..." She brought the flat of her gunblade down on Zell's head. He fell next to Seifer on the ground, also unconscious.

Amy looked up at the sky and shouted, "Flame! Turn the simulator off!!!"

Flame, who was still watching the simulator screen closely, turned off the simulator quickly, bringing the four friends back to reality.

Amy and Selphie quickly got out of their pods and went over to one in which Seifer was in. They tried in vain to lift him out. "Man Seifer! You big lump!" Selphie said as she let go of Seifer, giving up.

"Don't give up Selphie!" Amy pleaded, "They'll wake up and start fighting soon!"

Amy turned to Flame. "Help us," she said.

The moomba cheerfully hopped over to Seifer's pod at with a little work, helped Selphie and Amy lift Seifer out of the pod. They laid him against the wall beside the simulator.

Amy and Selphie, with Flame's help, then lifted Zell out of the pod he was in and set him beside Seifer.

Realizing that they couldn't drag Seifer and Zell all the way back to their rooms, Selphie and Amy decided to wait till Zell and Seifer woke up.

They decided to knock Seifer out again once he woke up. Once Zell was awake, he and Amy would walk back to their rooms together. Selphie would then wake Seifer up and try her best to calm he down from the rage he would surely be in because of being hit in the head so many times by "the chicken-wuss and that little library girl".

After waiting several minutes, Seifer began to wake up. "......huh?......W-w-what happened......OW! My head!" he said, dazed.

Amy quickly got up and brought the flat of her gunblade down on top of Seifer's skull. A sickening **_thud _**was the result of her attack. Seifer began to bleed slightly at the hairline. A small trickle of blood ran down the side of his head. Selphie scram. Amy quickly put her hand over Selphie's mouth to muffle the sound. "**_Shhhhhhh_**! _Selph_! Do you _want_ us to get in trouble?!?" Amy whispered firmly.

"N-n-no," Selph whispered back, wide-eyed.

At this moment, Zell began to rouse. "Zell!" Amy said clasping her hands together. "You're awake!" She quickly rushed to his side.

"Hm?" Zell muttered, opening his eyes to see Amy's face.

"Oh Zell, are you okay?" Amy asked as she threw her arms around his neck."

"......uh..._yeah_. My head hurts a little, but I'm..._okay_."

"I'm sorry Zell!" Amy said closing her eyes and smiling at him.

"...ummm...It's okay," Zell said, smiling back at her softly. He ran his fingers through her hair. Amy blushed and grasped his hand in her's. She looked away, still blushing. Seeing Amy's reaction, Zell smiled even more to himself. Zell looked around then looked back to Amy.

"Come on," he said gently. He got to his feet and helped Amy stand up.

"...Alright," Amy replied. "Let's get back to our rooms now," she added.

"Okay," Zell said. Amy put her arm in his and laid her head on his shoulder. Selphie watched as they disappeared through the doorway.

After awhile, Seifer began to wake up again.

"...Huh?" Seifer muttered, rubbing his head.

"You're awake!" Selphie said happily. "Let's go to our rooms!" she said before he could say something.

"...Okay...I guess," Seifer said wearily. Then the two got up and walked away towards the dorms.

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To my reviewers:

**Air-spirit** – thanks for R & Ring!!! . 

**QueenAndreena** – Thanks for the positive reinforcement! You kept me motivated.

**Kai's Dragon** – You were my first reviewer! I was really happy to see your review. Thanks!


	3. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Zell lay on the bed in his dorm, staring at the ceiling. He was thinking about the night before. He sighed, wondering how much gossip had gone around about Amy and himself since the night before, thanks to Selphie and Seifer. He sighed again and rolled over onto his stomach, burying his face in the pillow. He rested there until he heard a knock at the door.

"Zell! Zell! You in there?"

Zell bolted straight up in bed, and stared wide-eyed at the door. Could it really be her? There was another knock at the door.

"...Zell?..." Amy sighed. "I guess he's not here..."

Coming to his senses, Zell flew to the door and opened it, reaching out to grab Amy's arm.

Amy felt someone touch her arm, and, surprised, turned around. She was now facing Zell, who was smiling tenderly at her. She relaxed and smiled.

"I didn't think you were here," she said.

"I'm...sorry...I was...ummm...busy," Zell replied.

"Oh...okay," Amy said in a quiet voice.

"Would you like to come in and sit down?" Zell asked nervously.

"Sure," Amy said shyly.

Zell led her inside his dorm. He sat down on his bed, and she sat in the chair across from him. Zell rested his arms on his knees and stared at the floor. Amy sat quietly in the chair with her hands in her lap, looking across the room at Zell.

Zell sighed and continued looking at the floor. Amy looked tenderly over at him. She silently got up and sat beside him on the bed. She touched his shoulder softly.

Zell looked up quickly from his daze. Then he looked softly at Amy and gave her a small smile.

"What's wrong?" she asked him, a worried tone in her voice.

Zell sighed and shook his head slowly, his head down once again. "Nothing," he said, looking up to smile at Amy. "It's just that – –..." He looked back down, stopping in mid-sentence.

Amy gently touched his arm. "What?" she asked him lovingly.

"I just – –..." he sighed, looking up. "I just don't know..."

"You just don't know what, Zell?" Amy asked, a worried look spreading across her face.

All of a sudden, Zell grabbed Amy's hands in his and turned sideways on the bed to face her. "Tell me," he said. "What happened last night?"

"Wha – What?!" Amy said, surprised.

"I have to know," he replied, and then added, "I must know if what I remember was just a dream or not."

Amy quietly retold everything that had happened the night before from the time when Zell had walked into the Secret Area to when they had said 'goodnight' in the hall outside their dorms. Zell listened intently the whole time.

When she finished, he slowly dropped Amy's hands and turned again to look at the floor, his arms resting on his knees. He sighed deeply, closing his eyes while doing so. He opened his eyes again when he was finished and said, "So...it wasn't just a dream..."

"No," Amy said. "It was better. She slowly put her arms around him and held him tightly. Zell sat up and hugged her back. Then he stood up.

"C'mon," he said smiling, "let's go get something to eat. I'm _starving_!"

Amy laughed, glad that Zell was acting normal again. He grabbed her hand, and the two walked out of the dorm to the Cafeteria.

* * *

**To my reviewers: I'm _soooo_ sorry about the short chapter and the long wait. I'm taking it _really_ slowly and I'm also having a lot of 'writer's blocks'....so....just be patient with me please! ;;; Oh! And thanks to all of my reviewers! You really help me along! I just _loooove_ the encouragement! Thanks! .**


	4. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Amy and Zell were sitting in the cafeteria. Zell was finishing eating and Amy, who was already done, was reading a book.

Amy looked up from the book she reading to check the clock. It was five minutes until time for class. She closed her book on the table and stood up, sliding her chair out from under her. She began to gather her things.

Zell swallowed his last bite of food and asked, "What class do you have next?"

"Oh, umm…I just moved up to Instructor Trepe's class; I'm now training to become a SeeD.

"I'm so glad Ms. Trepe got her instructor license back!" Amy said, smiling.

"Yeah, that was good…" Zell said, "I can't believe we have class together! Hey, do you want to sit beside me?!"

"Uh, sure," Amy replied. She turned and began walking towards the door of the cafeteria. Zell followed. Just as Amy reached the doorway, a student ran through it and slammed into her, causing her to drop all of her books. He apologized quickly and without sincerity before rushing on.

Amy stood for a few seconds, staring down at all of her fallen books before sighing and dropping to her knees to pick them up. Zell bent down and helped her. When all of the books were gathered, Zell handed Amy all of the books he had picked up.

"Thanks," she said with a small smile. Zell smiled back, and after a brief pause said, "C'mon, let's get to class." Then the two walked off together down the hall.

* * *

"Alright class. Have a seat," Quistis Trepe announced the start of class as she walked in. Amy and Zell sat down in the back of the classroom next to where Seifer and Selphie were. Amy looked from Zell to Seifer, who was sitting on her right. He was smirking at something in the front of the room that Amy couldn't see.

Quistis began a lesson about GFs, flipping through slides with pictures of all of the GFs on them. Throughout the class, Ms. Trepe asked the students about the GFs on the slides. This was obviously a review to everyone in the class but Amy.

As Selphie told about the GF, Shiva, Amy vigorously took notes. To Amy, Selphie's answers sounded like she was quoting a book on GFs they had in the library.

After about five slides, Selphie turned around and said, "I hope my explanations aren't making your hand tired."

"Not at all," Amy replied, smiling," Besides, I'll probably need all of this information once I become a SeeD."

"Err…okay, if you say so…" Selphie said.

There was a loud, smacking sound from the front of the room. Quistis was yelling at Irvine, while he helplessly asked what he had done wrong. The whole class had gone silent the moment they had heard the smacking sound.

Irvine made a final, desperate attempt to ask Quistis what he had done. Quistis let her fury out in an angry sigh. She covered her face with her hand and said, "Class dismissed."

As Amy gathered her books and walked to the front of the classroom, Quistis called to her, "Amy, come here for just a moment." She turned toward the classroom door, where Seifer was about to exit and said, " You too, Seifer, come over here for a moment." Seifer shrugged and walked over to stand next to Amy and Quistis.

"Alright," Quistis said, looking to Amy, "You want to become a SeeD, correct?" Amy nodded and Quistis continued, "Okay, then, you need someone to help you train and enhance your skills in battle." Quistis made a side-glance at Seifer and then said, "Squall is often too busy and he also has a different type of gunblade than you, which would make training with him quite difficult. Therefore– –"

"Instructor!!!" Seifer yelled, taking an angry step towards Quistis, "You **can't** be serious! _Me_ train _her_?!" Quistis turned calmly to face the outraged Seifer and said, "Indeed Seifer. You are to train Amy here to the fullest extent, until she is able to become a SeeD, and perhaps even afterward."

Seifer scowled, open-mouthed, at Quistis, and then stomped out of the room in a rage. Quistis, still calm, turned back to Amy. "Don't worry," she said, "Seifer just needs some time." She turned around and began flipping through some papers on her desk. She found the one she was looking for, picked it up, and turned back around, handing it to Amy. As Amy took the piece of paper, Quistis said, "Here's the schedule of all of your upcoming training sessions with Seifer. Once you complete all of those that are listed, you and Seifer can schedule more."

"Thanks Quisty!" Amy said with smile, though she wasn't sure if she was going to _enjoy_ training with Seifer or not.

As Amy walked out into the hallway, she heard a voice call to her. "Hey, Amy," it said. Amy turned to where the voice was coming from and saw that Zell had been waiting for her. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, one foot prssed against the wall.

"Oh, hello Zell," Amy said with a smile.

"What did Quistis have to say?" he asked her.

"Oh! Umm…" Amy wasn't sure how Zell would react to her having to train with Seifer.

In the middle of Amy's thoughts, Zell spoke up again. "Seifer was really mad," he said with a smile and a hint of laughter in his voice.

"Zell…" Amy said in a quiet, nervous voice, "Siefer…he umm…he's going to be my trainer."

"What?!" Zell said, his voice rising, "Do you know what happened last time he was '_training_' with Squall?!"

Not being able to look Zell in the eye, Amy looked down at the floor and whispered, "Yes…they were both…_scared_…for _life_…"

"Yes…" Zell said, "They were." He put his arms around her, holding her close, and said, "Amy…I'm not mad…I'm just…_worried_."

"Don't…" Amy replied, looking up, "I'll be fine." She smiled up at Zell lovingly and walked off, heading towards her dorm.

* * *

**To my reviewers: Once again, sry for the long wait. I'm having a really bad writer's block for Chapter 3, and I don't even know how to start it so _please_ be patient, I'm begging.**


	5. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Amy awoke from her sleep to someone knocking on the door of her dorm.

"Amy?" It was Zell. She had promised him that she would go to the city of Balamb with him. He was going to visit his mother, and he had wanted her to go with him so Amy could meet her. Amy had forgotten to set her alarm clock the night before because she had been so tired from training with Seifer that day. She looked over at the clock, and began to panic more than she already had been. She was supposed to have been ready 10 minutes ago!

"Amy?" Zell called again, "Are you ready?"

"Hold on!" Amy said quickly, already scrambling into her cloths. She wore a royal blue shirt, jean shorts, and a trench-type overcoat that was black with read lining. She simply combed through her hair, not bothering to put it up, and quickly rushed to finish everything else she needed to do to get ready. She slung the small pack she had prepared the night before onto her shoulders, and, now out of breath, opened the door. She ran straight into Zell, and would have fallen backward, if he hadn't caught her.

As he caught her, Zell hugged Amy and said softly, "Are you alright?"

"Umm…Yes…I'm fine…" Amy muttered in reply.

"Okay then," Zell said, "are we ready to go?"

"Yep!" Amy said happily, "Let's hit the road!"

Zell followed Amy as she skipped down the halls of Balamb Garden, headed for the front gate.

* * *

"Ma, I'm home!" Zell called as he and Amy walked into his home.

"Oh! Hello Zell," his mother replied, walking out of an inner room. "Is this your friend?" she asked, motioning at Amy.

"This is Amy," he said, lightly pushing Amy towards his mother.

Amy was a bit nervous, but muttered, "H-hello Ms. Dincht; pleased to meet you." She extended a hand in greeting.

"Zell! You didn't tell me that you had such nice friends!" Ms. Dincht said as she shook Amy's hand. She then looked down at Amy and said, "You're always welcome here, dear." Amy couldn't help but smile and nod as she said, "Thank you."

"C'mon Amy!" Zell said, suddenly extremely happy, "I wanna show you something _sacred_."

Amy giggled slightly and followed Zell upstairs.

When they got to a room, Zell spread his arms and said proudly, "_This_ is my room!"

Amy had to laugh. He had called his room sacred.

Zell took a step toward Amy and put one arm around her. "I don't allow many people to see my room," he told her, "…Unless the need to…or…that person is special." He gently held her tighter, pulling her slightly closer to him.

Amy melted into Zell's side and arm. _Zell_ had just called _her_…**_special_**. She couldn't believe it. She didn't know of anything _special _about her.

"Thank you…" she whispered to Zell after a pause, "but…I don't understand _how_ I am special. There is nothing special about me…"

"Amy…" Zell whispered back, putting both of his arms around her, hugging her tightly. "Amy," he whispered again, "You are special to me in so many ways; too many to count."

Amy buried her face in Zell's chest, on the verge of tears, and hugged him back.

"Zell!" It was Zell's mother. "Zell! Come back down here please! I need to know what to fix for dinner!"

"Alright Ma!" Zell called back, then looked to Amy. "C'mon," he said, and turned around to go down the stairs. Amy followed.

"Zell, what would you like me to fix you and Amy for dinner?" Zell's mother asked when they had reached the bottom of the stairs.

Zell turned to Amy and asked, " How hungry are you tonight?"

"Well…I was going to go back to Garden in a while…" she replied.

"You're welcome to stay for the night," Ms. Dincht said, " There's an extra room upstairs."

"Oh!" Amy said, surprised. "I couldn't possibly--!"

"I would like that," Zell interrupted.

Amy sighed, but said, " Okay…But, just so you know, I'm not hungry at all."

"Then it's decided!" Zell said with a smile, "Hey Amy, could you go wait upstairs for me?"

"Alright…" Amy agreed and walked upstairs to Zell's room to wait.

Zell waited for Amy to disappear up the stairs to speak. "Hey Ma," he said, turning back to his mother, "Do you think that I could take Amy to the little coffee shop for dinner tonight? She said that she wasn't hungry after all."

"The Balamb Café? Sure. Here's some gill," Ms. Dincht replied as she handed Zell some money.

Zell's eyes lit up. "Thanks Ma!" he said, hugging his mother.

"Go on and have a good time," Ms. Dincht said.

Zell nodded quickly with a smile and ran up the stairs.

Amy was sitting on his bed when Zell walked into his room. She looked up form the daze she had been in, and still had glazy eyes. Zell's face changed form happy to worried. "What's wrong?" he asked her, placing a hand on her shoulder as he sat beside her.

"Oh! N-nothing!" Amy said, quickly looking at Zell with a smile. Zell could tell that the smile was fake, but sighed and smiled back, standing up. He took Amy's hand and said, "Come on. I'll show you your room."

Amy nodded and allowed Zell to lead her to a room across from his.

"Well…this is it," Zell said. "I'm guessing you didn't bring any extra cloths since you were planning on leaving?"

"No…" Amy said, "I didn't."

"Okay. Get settled here and I'll be right back," Zell told Amy, and left the room.

A few minutes later, Zell returned with a bundle under his arm.

"Ma told me to give you this," Zell said, and threw the bundle to Amy. She unfolded the bundle to see that it was a long, white gown. Its design signified that it was to sleep in. It was made of a silky material, and barely had any sleeves.

"When you go to sleep, you can wear that," Zell said, "Ma said to tell you to give her you cloths when you change so that she can wash them for tomorrow."

"Alright…" Amy replied, and lay the gown down on the bed.

"Amy?" Zell whispered.

"Yeah?" Amy said quickly, surprised that Zell had spoken so quietly and suddenly.

"I was just wondering…" Zell said, looking off to the side at the floor, "Would you…umm…happen to want to go to the Balamb Café with me?"

"I would love it Zell!" Amy said, grabbing her pack, tossing it onto one shoulder, and latching onto Zell's arm.

Zell smiled softly and, using Amy's position to his advantage, put his other arm around her, holding her close. He moved his hand to the back of her head, and bired his face in the top of her hair.

After a few seconds, Zell backed away and said, "Alright…Let's go." Amy smiled and nodded, then followed Zell down the stairs. As they headed out the door, Zell called, "Ma! We're leaving!" There was a quick reply of, "Alright! Have a nice time!" before they left. Zell shut the door behind him, and walked alongside Amy until they came to Balamb Café. It was a small coffee shop that also served small desserts. You could also get sandwiches and salads.

Amy and Zell entered the coffee shop and sat down at the bar. "I think I'll just get some hot chocolate," Amy said, "I'm really not hungry at all."

"Neither am I," Zell said.

Soon the bar tend came by to take their orders.

"Two cups of hot chocolate and a small plate of cookies," Zell said.

"Coming right up!" the man replied and began to fix the order.

"Amy…" Zell said, turning on his stool to face Amy.

"Yes?" Amy said, not fully turning to face Zell, but looking to him. Zell reached out and took Amy's hands, which had been resting on the bar, in his. "Amy…" He whispered again, "I think today I realized that…that I…that I _really _love you."

Amy was surprised by the sudden confession. "You…you……what?" she said, speechless.

"I love you…" Zell repeated, softly rubbing Amy's hands with his fingers.

Amy blushed softly and couldn't help but smile at Zell as he looked down at her hands.

"Zell…" Amy whispered, "…I love you too…more than you know."

"I think I _do_ know," Zell whispered back, and leaned forward, hugging Amy.

"Order's ready!" the bar tend said, placing two cups and a plate of small cookies in front of Zell and Amy.

Amy and Zell paused for a moment, silent, staring at the plate of cookies and the two cups sitting on the counter. Then, suddenly, Amy started giggling. Zell laughed slightly at her. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"Nothing; nothing," Amy replied, continuing to laugh.

"Okay…" Zell said sarcastically as he took a sip out of his cup. Once Amy stopped laughing, she drank her hot chocolate and ate a few cookies, waiting for Zell to finish.

When they were done, they walked hand-in-hand back to Zell's house.

* * *

**To my reviewers: Thank you for being patient with me!!! I finally got the time to work this fic without having writer's block! yay! lol**

**Btw, the library girl that the fic is based off of is the one that studders when talking to Zell. If you go into the library and talk to her with Zell in your party, she will talk to him while studdering. She is also the same library girl that posted on Balamb Garden's message board. She used the s/n: Librarian. Zell used the s/n: Z.D.**


	6. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Amy stood in front of the mirror in the guest room across from the bed. She was wearing the white nightgown Zell's mother had lent her. She had already given Ms. Dincht her cloths, all except her trench coat.

Amy laid down on the bed and got under the covers, thinking about that day. She had already turned the light off, and it was dark outside. She lay awake for about an hour. Then she heard footsteps. The person walked over and cut the lamp on beside the bed. Amy turned over quickly in bead, taking in a sharp breath. Seeing that it was Zell, she let out a sigh of relief. She sat up in bead and asked, "What's wrong?"

Zell sat beside her and said, "I couldn't sleep."

"Oh…" Amy replied, "Would you like to rest here for a bit and talk then?" She slipped back under the covers as she laid down again.

"Yes…thank you," he whispered as he climbed into the bed beside her.

Amy hadn't expected Zell to do that, but she accepted it as she felt him move beside her. A moment later it hit her that Zell had only worn a pair of red boxers when he came in the room. She laughed silently to herself as she realized this.

After a pause, Zell whispered, "You look very pretty in that gown Ma gave you." He slipped his arm around her and pulled her closer to him.

Amy blushed and abruptly opened her eyes.

After another pause of uncomfortable silence, Zell kissed Amy's hair and whispered, "I love you…"

"Zell…" Amy whispered, "What if your mother sees us like this? What will she think?"

She waited for a reply, but none came. She felt him breathing beside him and she drifted off to sleep, still held in his arms.

* * *

Zell woke up and let his eyes wander around the room. At first, he didn't remember why he was in the guest room. Amy moved slightly in her sleep, and Zell felt her under his arm. Then he remembered the night before.

_Oh no!_ Zell thought, _I forgot to go back to my room last night!_

He heard the door click as it opened. His body tensed as he sensed the person stop and stare at Amy and himself.

* * *

Zell's mother walked slowly over to the guest bedroom with Amy's cloths in her arms. Then had just finished drying and she was going to return them.

As quietly as she could, she opened the door to the room. She hoped that she wouldn't wake Amy up.

When she opened the door, she saw Zell's back. He had his arm around Amy. They both looked as if they were still asleep, so she simply laid Amy's cloths down beside the wall. She smiled at Amy and Zell as she quietly backed out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

* * *

Zell let out a sigh of relief as he heard the door click shut again. After he calmed himself down, he pulled Amy slightly closer. She turned over in bed and rested against Zell. He smiled and closed his eyes.

* * *

Amy woke up, but kept her eyes closed. She could feel something warm beside her. Once she felt it breathing, she realized that it was Zell. She opened her eyes and looked up at his face. She smiled and leaned up, kissing his cheek.

Zell opened his eyes and moved his hand into Amy's hair. She blushed and hugged him, pulling him closer to her and hiding her face in his chest. Zell laughed silently to himself at how shy she was. He hugged her back tightly.

He laughed again and said, "Amy…" He slowly moved his hand to Amy's cheek and neck. He pulled her face gently up to his, kissing her.

Amy shut her eyes and relaxed. At first she had been surprised.

As Zell pulled away, he hugged Amy again. Then he climbed out of the bed. Amy sat up. She laughed when she saw him in the dim light of the sunrise.

"Hmm?" Zell questioned, "What's so funny?" Amy continued to laugh, covering her mouth with her hands and closing her eyes. She pointed at his boxers.

Zell blushed a deep shade of red and quickly said, "Please hurry and get dressed. I'll meet you downstairs."

Amy continued giggling as she changed into her cloths, which she found beside the door. Then she walked down the stairs to see Zell waiting for her.

She smiled and said, "Hello. It's the weekend now, so we don't need to go back to the Garden today…What would you like to do today Zell?" She asked the last question nervously.

Zell crossed one leg over the other and put one hand behind his head, thinking. "Okay," he said after a pause, "Would you like to go to the park?"

"Sure!" Amy said, her face lighting up, "I haven't been there in a long time!"

Zell smiled and laughed slightly, pleased with Amy's response. "Okay," he said, standing up straight again. Then he asked, "Are you hungry or are we ready to leave now?"

Amy smiled and replied, "No. Let's go!"

Zell laughed again at her enthusiasm. "Okay," he said, "follow me." He walked out of the door and knelt down. He picked up his T-board. Amy looked and him and blinked. "Are we going to ride _that_?" she asked, "It doesn't look like there is enough room."

"Yeah…" Zell said, "Get on the back and hold on to me."

"Uhm…Alright," Amy said, getting on behind Zell.

"Alright! Hold on tight!" Zell stiffened his body.

"Let's go!" Amy laughed and held tighter to Zell as they started off towards the park.


	7. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"We're here!" Amy said happily as she and Zell reached the park. As soon as the T-board stopped moving, she jumped off and ran toward the fountain in the park's center. "It's so _big_," Amy said looking at all of the water.

Zell laughed. "Yeah," he said, "they installed it last summer. People go swimming in it sometimes. It's about 5 feet (152.4 cm) deep."

"Wow…" Amy said quietly. Then she walked over to a nearby tree and sat in its shade. Zell followed her, sitting beside her. He put his arm around her.

Amy flinched unexpectedly, but then snuggled closer to Zell. He was warm and she loved being close to him. She smiled, closing her eyes, and resting her head in the curve of his shoulder. A bird sung softly in the branches above their heads. Zell smiled and shut his eyes too. He rested his head on Amy's. He felt so peaceful every time he was able to hold her like this.

Slowly, Amy looked shyly up at Zell's face. Sensing her gaze, Zell looked tenderly back down at her. Amy blushed. Zell smiled and breathed a laugh. Amy leaned up slowly and kissed his cheek. As she pulled away slightly, she saw that Zell's cheeks were a softly into her cheek.

Amy's eyes shot open as she felt Zell's lips touch her own. At first, she blushed, but almost immediately, she melted into him and returned his kiss.

The wind blew gently, causing Amy's hair to brush Zell's cheek. He felt it, but paid it no mind.

Just as the lingering wind died down, the two pulled slowly away from one another. Amy blushed, looking down and away. Zell smiled and ran his hand over Amy's hair; then he played with it, twirling it gently in his fingers. Amy blushed even more, continuing to look down.

"Thank you…" Zell's voice broke the silence.

"Hmm?" Amy asked, looking up, "Thank you? For what? What have I done to be _thanked_?" She smiled carelessly up at Zell.

Zell smiled back, but then tears filled his eyes. How could she _not_ know she had shared her gift with him…?

Zell leaned his head on Amy's shoulder and cried silent tears. Amy hugged him tightly, suddenly concerned.

"Zell…" she whispered, "Zell…what's wrong? Did _I_ do something? Zell…please tell me if I have…Zell? Zell!" Amy was starting to worry even more. She began to cry, feeling helpless. She cried into his shoulder just as he cried into her's. She hated seeing him cry, and felt worse because she didn't know how to help.

"Amy…no..." Zell whispered through tears, "You haven't done anything wrong…" He held her closer to him and then said, "If anything…you've shown me…love… I guess that's what I meant when I said 'thank you'." His tears had stopped now, and he hugged Amy tightly. He took in the scent of her hair and relaxed.

Amy looked up slightly, surprised. Then, not knowing what to say or how to react, she melted into Zell. She hugged him tightly, wiping her tears on his shoulder. They stayed in that position until Zell leaned back against the tree trunk. He didn't take his arm from around Amy. She rested her head lightly on his chest and smiled.

"Amy," Zell whispered, "…look."

"Huh?" Amy whispered back, sitting up and looking toward the fountain in the direction Zell was pointing to. Her eyes widened.

"It's a chocobo!" she said happily.

"Yeah…maybe we can get it to come over here," Zell said, reaching his hand in his pocket. "I thought we might see one by chance, so I brought some chocobo food with me," he explained, opening his hand to reveal the seed.

"Come here…" Zell said, clicking his teeth and holding out his hand toward the chocobo.

"Zell! It's not a dog!" Amy laughed, "It won't come just because you click your teeth!"

"Well…I thought– –………!" Zell stopped in mid-sentence and looked down. The chocobo was staring curiously up at him. Amy looked at them, surprised. Zell blinked down at the chocobo and offered the seed again. The bird continued staring at him, then slowly bent forward and started pecking at the food.

Zell smiled up at Amy proudly. She smiled back, giggling. Suddenly, the chocobo flew up, landing in Zell's hair.

"Eh!" Zell jumped back, startled. The chocobo flew off, scared away by Zell's sudden reaction.

Amy doubled over in laughter. "I think it liked your hair, Zell!"

"Heh…yeah…so do I; a bit too much," he replied, fixing his hair.

Amy continued laughing, and then said, "Well, it's about noon now. I think we should go back to your house now and get ready to go back Balamb Garden tomorrow."

"Yeah…I guess so…" Zell agreed. They walked back to the park entrance and got on the T-board to go back to Zell's house.

* * *

Amy woke up the next morning dazed. She got dressed and ready then went downstairs to see if Zell was up. 

When she rounded the corner of the stairs, she was Zell's mother.

"Oh…hello," Amy said.

Zell's mother smiled and said, "Good morning. Zell's not up yet, but would you like to sit down and talk?"

"Uhm…okay…" Amy replied nervously. They sat down at a table and Zell's mother served hot tea. As Amy sipped at her cup, Zell's mother said, "Zell loves you, you know. I can tell…"

"What!" Amy said, surprised. She put down her cup and looked at Ms. Dincht, blushing horribly.

Ms. Dincht laughed at Amy's reaction and continued. "Yes," she said, "you make him happy. He talks about you a lot! Thank you…for being so kind to him."

Amy blushed even more and opened her mouth to say something when Zell interrupted.

"Good morning!" he said, stretching as he came down the stairs.

Amy looked up, blushing now more than ever and said, "Oh! Good morning."

Zell yawned and got some tea and toast. He ate and then asked, "Are you ready to go back to the Garden now, Amy? I figured that we have all day, so maybe we could walk back…I hope you don't mind."

"No, not at all," Amy replied. "I'll just go upstairs and get my pack."

As she walked up the stairs, Ms. Dincht turned to Zell and said, "Don't let that one get away, Zell. She's a good catch. Take care of her."

Zell blushed and laughed, rubbing his head, "Alright, Ma."

"Okay! I'm ready," Amy announced as she returned. She and Zell then left the house, walking toward the city entrance, and started the walk back to Balamb Garden.

* * *

**To my reviewers: Wah! I'm soooo sorry that I haven't kept updating! I tried to hurry this time! heh...Anyways, in the next chappy, I'm starting out in the middle of a training session...But I won't spoil it! Just wait! heeheehee!**


	8. Chapter 6

**Author's note: Hi guys! Sorry for the long wait, and I'm done with chapter 7 too, so I'll get that posted asap! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 6

"Dodge this!" Seifer barked, lunging toward Amy with his gunblade raised. She quickly parried the attack and jumped back. They were in the middle of a training session. Seifer had had Amy perform an especially difficult sequence of dodges, blocks, parries, and attacks this session, and she was extremely tired.

Not allowing any time for Amy to recover, Seifer again launched himself at her. She took in a sharp breath and jumped to the side. Seifer's gunblade stuck in the wall in front of him. He looked to his side and smirked at Amy, who was panting.

"Alright," he said, standing up straight and pulling his gunblade from the wall, "I guess we can stop for today."

Amy nodded, still out of breath. She walked out of the private room that had been set aside for Seifer and herself and looked at a nearby clock. It was already time for everyone to be eating in the cafeteria, so she began walking toward it, slowly recovering from her session with Seifer. He had already gone 30 minutes over the time limit that was supposedly set for their training. It made her tired, but she didn't mind. She was getting better. Soon, she might even be able to keep up without getting tired quickly.

Amy walked into the cafeteria and sat down at the table Zell and Irvine were sitting at. She let her gunblade sink to the floor and rested her head in her arms on the table.

Zell swallowed his bite of food and blinked over at her. "Uhm…Amy? What's wrong?"

She groaned and turned her head to look at Zell tiredly.

"What is it?" he persisted. Amy opened her mouth and uttered a single word. "Seifer."

"What! What happened!" Zell said, his voice rising. Again, Amy only replied simply, "Training."

"Oh…" Zell said, calming back down, "Why is he pushing you so hard? You could really get hurt." Amy kept an expressionless face as she stared at Zell.

Finally, she said, "No…It's actually helping me get better and stronger." She blinked at Zell and wearily stood up. "Well," she said, "I guess I'd better go. I was meeting Selphie in the library to study. Rinoa is also meeting us there."

"Alright…" Zell muttered as Amy walked off. He sighed and stared down at the table, deep in thought.

"Hey…Zell…" Irvine said, putting a hand on Zell's shoulder. Zell looked up and Irvine continued, "Don't worry, man. It'll be okay! Oh! By the way, I told Seifer and Squall to meet us in the Quad. C'mon! Let's go!" Irvine smiled mischievously at Zell. Zell was then dragged off to the Quad without anything more being said.

"We're here," Irvine announced when they had reached the Quad.

"But…why?" Zell asked.

"You'll see," was Irvine's simple answer.

"Irvine!" Seifer yelled, walking up to Zell and Irvine, with Squall at his heels, "What are we here for!" Squall gave Irvine a bored look. Irvine smiled enthusiastically and replied, "I think we should take the girls out for a night!" Seifer rolled his eyes disgustedly away before speaking again. "And where could _you_ possibly want to take them!" he asked.

"A bar – this Friday night!" Irvine said. For a moment or two, there was an awkward silence, then Seifer started laughing. Squall even gave off slight signs of small laughter. Zell sighed a laugh too, and shook his head at Irvine. "What?" Irvine said, feeling like he was being accused of something. Once again, Seifer was the first to speak. "A _bar_?" he asked, smirking, "What the hell makes you think they'd want to go _there_?"

Irvine shrugged, "It's worth a try."

"Whatever…" Squall said, and walked off in the direction of the library.

"This should prove interesting," Zell said, no feeling in his words. He began walking in the same direction Squall had, toward the library. Seifer followed with a mocking laugh and a smirk.

Irvine smiled contently and took off in the direction of the classrooms.

* * *

As Squall, Zell, and Seifer walked into the library, Selphie whispered, "What are _they_ doing here?" Rinoa and Amy glanced up from their book and shrugged in reply. All three boys stood at the entrance to the library, not going any further in. Amy looked back over at them, and saw an intense look in Zell's eyes. He wanted her to go over to him. She looked back and Rinoa and Selphie and said, "I'll see you guys later, okay?" 

"Uhm…yeah, sure," Selphie replied. Rinoa nodded in agreement. Amy shut and gathered all of her books. Then she stood up and walked over to Zell. He quietly led her out of the library.

"What is it, Zell?" Amy asked him when they had reached the main hallway. Zell sat down on a nearby bench and Amy sat beside him. Zell turned and smiled at her. "Amy…" he said, "the guys and I were wanting to go somewhere this Friday night. It's actually to a…a…_bar_, but I wanted to know if you would like to come with me…" Amy's eyes were shining as she replied, "Yes! I would _love_ to!" Zell looked up and relief swept over him. "Alright," he said, nodding, "I'll come by your dorm Friday at around 17:00, okay?"

Amy nodded happily and ran off to her dorm.

* * *

As Zell and Amy passed him, Seifer saw Selphie glance up at him from her books. He tossed his head slightly in a beckoning motion, and Selphie told Rinoa to wait a moment. As she walked up to him, Squall went over to sit beside Rinoa. Seifer saw Squall mutter something, and Rinoa's eyes light up as she nodded in reply. Seifer smirked as Squall walked out of the library past him. By this time, Selphie was getting impatient. She had her arms crossed in front of her, and she was tapping her foot. Finally, she said, "Well? What is it!" 

Directing his attention again to Selphie, he said, "Some of us were thinking of going to a bar this Friday. We'll meet you in the Garden Parking Area around 17:00 if you want to come."

"Sure!" Selphie said excitedly, "I'll come." Seifer smirked and walked off. Selphie resumed her position beside Rinoa and continued studying.

* * *

Irvine walked into Quistis's office casually. He walked over and placed a hand on her desk. "Instructor Trepe…Would you accompany me to a bar on Friday?" 

Quistis looked up. "What time?" she asked. Irvine tipped his hat to her and replied, "Everyone attending will meet in the Garden Parking Area around 17:00."

"Alright," Quistis said, "I'll be there." As Irvine left, Quistis heard him mutter, "Yes! I got the hot instructor for a date!" A moment later, he felt a book slam into his back.


	9. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Amy and Zell walked into the Parking Area of Balamb Garden on Friday to find that everyone else was already there. Everyone, that is, but Irvine. Suddenly, the sound of an engine was heard and a limo was driven into the Parking Area with Irvine behind the wheel. "You like it?" he asked, coming to a stop, "I rented it for two days so that we could use it tonight! There are four rows of two seats each in this thing!" After a pause, everyone began to get into the limo. Quistis sat beside Irvine, and Amy and Zell took the back row of seats. Rinoa and Squall took the second row, leaving Seifer and Selphie with the third row. Soon, they were all on their way to the city of Balamb.

* * *

Everyone was having a great time at the bar so far. Irvine had joined in Squall and Seifer's fight to see who could drink the most of the strongest beer that the bar had. Quistis and Rinoa, who had had drinks with a medium portion of alcohol, were dancing in the wooden-floored section of the bar. Zell, Amy, and Selphie were sitting together at a table. Zell, even though he had no tolerance to alcohol at all, was sipping his fifth strawberry daiquiri. Amy was drinking a pina colada, and Selphie was sticking to water.

"Amy," Selphie said, "I think we should go before Seifer and Squall get worse…"

"Yes…" Amy replied, "and before Irvine gets drunk too." They nodded and then forced everyone back into the limo.

On the way back, Selphie drove with Amy beside her. Zell and Seifer were in the seats behind them, and Rinoa, Squall, Irvine, and Quistis sat in the other rows of seats.

When they returned to Garden, Irvine, Quistis, Zell, Squall, and Seifer went to their dorms. Selphie stayed with Seifer because of his drunken condition. Likewise, for the same reason, Rinoa stayed with Squall and Amy with Zell.

* * *

The next morning, everyone awoke to the sound of Seifer's fist hitting the wall. "Damnit!" he said, "Why are all of the fucking lights so damn bright!" Despite Selphie's attempts to make Seifer lie back down, he stormed off to the cafeteria, claiming that all he needed was food, and Selphie followed him the entire way.

Everyone had come out into the hallway, wondering what was going on. Squall saw Irvine's ponytail, and yelled, "BANANA!" He grabbed Irvine's hair and tugged on it. Irvine yelped in pain and pulled his hair from Squall's grasp. Rinoa pushed Squall back into his dorm forcibly and locked the door behind them.

Zell turned around and ran back into his dorm. There, he vomited on the floor. Amy pat him on the back and whispered, "Poor thing…" She cleaned the mess up and made Zell lie down. She also set a trash bin beside his bed in case he needed to vomit again. Amy watched over him the rest of the day from the chair across the room.

* * *

Later, that night, just when Zell had gotten back to normal and was talking to Amy, there was a knock at the door. When Amy opened the door, Seifer stood smirking at her. "You missed training," he told her. There had not been a session scheduled that day, and Seifer appeared to be drunk again.

"Seifer…" Amy sighed, "go back to be–e—gah––!" Seifer had grabbed her and picked her up by the throat.

"Stop it!" Zell screamed, running at Seifer and punching him in the stomache. Seifer dropped Amy, who hit the floor limply with a sickening thud. Seifer fell forward, unconscious. Selphie ran up, panting. "I'm sorry," she breathed, "He ran away." Zell nodded and Selphie dragged Seifer off to his dorm.

Zell ran over to Amy and knelt down beside her. He was crying. "Amy…Amy…please say you're okay…" he said through tears. Amy was crying too, but in pain. She was coughing terribly, but managed to say, "Yes…yes, Zell. I'm alright now…" The two embraced. They fell asleep like that, staying in that position for the remainder of the night.

* * *

**Author's Note: Don't worry! This is NOT the end! Much more to come! Please Review.**


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